Daily Archives: June 16, 2013

Survey: 64% of millennials worry about buying a home | Katonah Real Estate

Of millennials aged 18 to 34, 64% express some level of worry that they will have trouble affording their rent or mortgage, according to a survey by Think Finance.

Additionally, the same percentage worry that they will never be able to buy a home, the Fort Worth, Texas-based analytics firm found.

The survey was conducted online among 1,021 Americans by Harris Interactive, on behalf of Think Finance. 

 

 

Survey: 64% of millennials worry about buying a home | HousingWire.

Actress Jodie Foster listed home for $6.4 million | Bedford Real Estate

The home has 4 bedrooms, 4 full and 2 half bathrooms, an office and an attached guest suite. Adjacent to a formal dining room, a butler’s pantry leads to a stunning kitchen. A luxurious master suite features a sitting area, walk-in closets, fireplace and sauna, according to Trulia.

Outside, the central courtyard pool and brick patio are shielded by a high-reaching hedge for the utmost seclusion – a must for the notoriously private Foster.

 

Actress Jodie Foster listed home for $6.4 million | HousingWire.

Detroit teams up with group to prevent foreclosures | Pound Ridge Real Estate

In an effort to help thousands of homeowners facing foreclosure, theMichigan State Housing Development Authority on Friday announced a partnership with the faith-based community to spread the word about relief funds available, The Detroit News writes.

One of the first efforts in the partnership is a Tax Foreclosure Housing Fair in Detroit on Saturday for homeowners in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. It’s part of the Step Forward Michigan program which offers up to $30,000 for homeowners to pay delinquent taxes, mortgage assistance or condo association dues

 

Detroit teams up with group to prevent foreclosures | HousingWire.

Jumbo rates come in lower than conforming rates | Bedford Corners Real Estate

Loans are usually categorized in three tiers: conforming loans to $417k, high-balance conforming loans from $417k to $625k and jumbo loans above $625k.

In addition, rates usually move up the three tiers by loan amounts.

According to a blog by Julian Hebron, jumbo rates are currently about .25% lower than high-balance conforming rates.

It could be a short term phenomenon that jumbo rates are the same or lower than conforming loans, but for now it’s good news for rate consumers with loans above $417,000.

 

Jumbo rates come in lower than conforming rates | HousingWire.

Short-term money and investors dominate real estate market | Chappaqua Real Estate

The trend in high institutional investor activity isn’t new, but it takes on added relevance as their share of purchases increases, having an “outsized impact on housing prices.” The institutional housing trade is a highly localized phenomenon, particularly relevant in some of the worst-hit markets—the same ones which are experiencing some of the most impressive gains in prices, writes Forbes.

 

Short-term money and investors dominate real estate market | HousingWire.

Rising rates bad news for builders | Armonk Real Estate

The most well known home builders are now trading at valuations that fully account for the recent rebound in the housing market. These stocks are vulnerable to a significant decline as mortgage rates pressure the industry. The Motley Fool recommends locking in any gains in the sector today, and selling these stocks before they sustain further declines.

 

Rising rates bad news for builders | HousingWire.

Boost Your Content: The Power of Quality Images | Cross River Realtor

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words – and more!

Have you ever asked yourself “How do I get more people to read my content?” Of course you have. There may be things you can adjust or do differently to increase your readers’ interest and attention span to your website and your blog. But the reality of our busy, fast-paced, visual world is that people are just moving way too fast to see it. Something has to make people stop long enough to want to read your blog or to find out what you have to offer. You have to stop people in their tracks and gain their attention in 3 seconds or less. A thousand words can’t do that but one image often can.

Increase Sharing with Visual Content

No One is Reading to the End of Your Content, HubSpot

I am often surprised to find excellent content that fails to give me a usable image to pin on Pinterest or share on Facebook. And “B2B” (business-to-business) companies are not off the hook. If an article has great information but does not give me a usable image or graphic, I will be hesitant to share that article on LinkedIn. These bloggers and companies are missing an opportunity and failing to reach so many more people with their content.

The HubSpot blog is one of my favorite online resources for inbound marketing content. The information is tremendous. But I also have to admit that I just love to share their content because the images they use are so fun and compelling. It’s silly but I am willing to admit I have shared their articles on more than one occasion based solely on the great image they put with it. Now, that is safe to do with HubSpot because it is always great, relevant content for my network. However, on a very busy day even though I’m greatly interested in their content and trusting its consistent value, I may miss it if they don’t stop me in my tracks. Hint: cute dogs always stop me!

Make it easy to Share your Visual Content

Unlike the HubSpot blog, there is another site I visit regularly that often leaves me frustrated.  They have great content and they often feature great images on the home page, but then they don’t use an image on an article. A few times I actually saved the feature image from their home page and then created a pin myself in order to share a really great article. And, there were many more times I just clicked away and didn’t jump through hoops to share an article, even though it was share worthy. Don’t make your readers jump through hoops to share your content. Make it easy for them with images that support your content.

  • Use high quality images that are large enough to share at 400×400 pixels.
  • If possible, use square or portrait-styled images to avoid your image being cropped awkwardly or reduced to fit when it is shared. This has been a problem in the past, particularly on Facebook.
  • Give readers a Pinterest “Pin It” button. Pinterest share buttons provides readers a direct ability to hover over an image and just click the “Pin It” button. Using this widget on each image reminds and encourages people to share your great content on Pinterest! You can find this tool and similar options for your site inPinterest’s Tools for Business.

 

Boost Your Content: The Power of Quality Images | Find and Convert.